The Downfall
by Rigiied
Summary: Levi gets sick right before the 55th expedition, but he denies that he is and joins the Recon Corps on their venture outside the wall. What will happen to humanity's strongest soldier? Rated T for minor language and fighting later on. Levi!whump
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - Soo .. This is my second fanfic, but the first one sucked so I deleted it. :c My imagination sucks, I have absolutely no humor and English isn't my native language. So please excuse any mistakes or just plain lame-ness. Thank you and enjoy! :D**

**Rated T for minor language and fighting later on.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the story-line or any of the characters, all rights reserved to Hajime Isayama and Ryō Suzukaze.  
**

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He hadn't felt this bad since he left the Underground. Everything hurt. The sound of the birds carelessly roaming the skies, the sunlight peering through the window … Even his goddamn pillow hurt. He reluctantly opened his eyes to a slit, so as not to hurt his head any further. Then remembering that today they would be going on the 55th expedition, he shot up. Looking at the time it seemed he had overslept. Still regretting the incautious movement from earlier, he carefully got out of bed and stretched his back muscles.  
He sighed deeply as he looked in the mirror – he looked like shit. Denying the fact that he was sick he made his way towards where his team was at.

"Hey, Levi!" Hange yelled, even more excited than usual. He wouldn't have expected otherwise, Hange always loved the expeditions and they could barely stop her from barging through the gate on her own. Her sick obsession with titans was really getting out of hand, but they needed her expertise outside the wall. Also, in some weird way, she was an irreplaceable part of the Recon Corps.  
Levi grunted some sort of greeting back – if you could even make something out of it. Hange, being her usual self, sprung up and invaded Levi's personal space before he could react. Not so carefully observing the captain she tilted her head, "You don't look really good, Levi … Where you out for some fun last night? Hmm? Did you finally listen to m-"  
"Shut up." Levi interrupted her as he, not so graciously, sat down. Her outburst hadn't helped his headache, which was now pounding forcefully through his brain. Rubbing his temples he looked around and noticed no one of his Special Operations Squad was present.  
Hange pouted and looked at the rather disgruntled Levi, "You don't have to be so mean." She mumbled, fully aware of the fact that that had recently become his standard reply when she annoyed him. Yet, there was something different today but she couldn't really put her finger on it. She shrugged and reassured herself that he was just having a bad day. He did seem a bit under the weather - she snickered, maybe he had taken her advice to become more sociable after all …  
"Where's the rest?" Levi asked, interrupting Hange's thoughts.  
"Hmm? Oh, you missed the briefing. They're already preparing the expedition and I was ordered to stay here and wait for you." Hange said casually.  
Levi's head shot up, he had missed the briefing?! "Why didn't they come and get me?" He asked as calm as he could, which was not easy in the state he was currently in.  
Hange gazed at him, "Oh, now do I wonder why we didn't come and get you … Don't you remember the last time we sent one of the corps? You scared the poor man to death."  
"Right." Levi coughed. With some effort he got up and beckoned Hange to follow him.

When they arrived at the gathering point, Levi immediately went to find Erwin. He had cursed himself several times for oversleeping during their fast-paced walk. He looked around and saw Erwin standing at one of the supply carts – he appeared to be checking the gear. Typically Erwin, he always made sure there were no flaws in the equipment.  
He made his way towards the commander, ignoring some of the sneering comments he picked up underway.  
"Erwin." He greeted.  
"Good to see you, Levi. You're just in time." Erwin responded without looking up from whatever he was doing. "I don't think you need any more explanation for the upcoming expedition? Seeing you helped me organize it." This time he did look up, and he wished he had done so sooner – Levi looked utterly awful. His flushed cheeks and his glazed eyes were the first things he noticed. "Are you okay?" he asked with a hint of worry lingering in his voice.  
"I'm fine." Levi said.  
Erwin lightly shook his head, _as stubborn as ever – _he thought. "Alright, if there's anything, let me know." He then went back to checking the inventory, hoping Levi indeed was fine. He played an essential part in the upcoming expedition and they couldn't afford to keep him within the walls. He reminded himself to check back on Levi when he was done preparing things.

Half an hour later Levi had prepared everything necessary and was resting on a bench, head clutched between his hands. He barely registered the movement around him as he focused on his breathing. He had felt something coming up the past few days, but he hadn't thought much of it. Deep into thoughts Levi didn't notice the stares he was getting from his team.  
They all looked at each other, unsure of what to do. They all knew what the other was thinking, but no one dared to say anything. It was obvious Levi wasn't his usual self. Finally Petra got up and walked towards him. She laid a hand on his shoulder and gently shook him, "Levi?" It was almost time to leave as everyone seemed to be getting ready, but their captain hadn't made any intention of leaving. Auruo had been getting on everyone's nerves, so she decided to go and check Levi.  
He didn't respond, so she tried again, "Levi? Are you okay?"  
Levi grumbled, he had been in a pretty comfortable slumber, but now all the aches returned. Though they seemed to have gotten better as he was now able to open his eyes without making his headache worse. He rubbed a hand over his face, looked up at Petra and nodded. "Let's go." He simply said.

Levi didn't need to look back as he trotted towards the gate. He knew his team was there. Auruo, Petra, Gunther and Eld – once again they were going to venture outside the walls together. He felt better than before and ready to kick some titan ass, mankind relied on these expeditions. Getting sick was no option, ever.

"At last! Mankind is about to make another step forward!" Erwin exclaimed, "The 55th expedition to the lands outside the wall, start!"

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**A/N – I would really appreciate a review! Is this story worth continuing? Thanks for reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – So I decided to continue this story thanks to these two fantastic people who reviewed and followed my story, hereby I thank you. :D I've got some more sick Levi coming up, enjoy! Reviews are still appreciated *wink wink***

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Levi had learned to suppress his feelings over the years, but now he really was having a hard time to do so. The corps had been underway for half a day already without encountering any titan – mostly thanks to Commander Erwin's strategy - much to Levi's relief because he wasn't sure whether he would be able to handle even one titan at the moment. At the start of their expedition he had felt pretty good considering everything, but it had gotten worse again over the day. Now he was barely sitting upright in the saddle.  
His breathing was getting worse and the coughing became more frequent, it also seemed he had developed a fever. He was sweaty, uncomfortable and just downright feeling awful. It was strange that the sickness from earlier had suddenly decided to come back up, and he was really annoyed by it. He wished he could kill this sickness like he could kill the titans.  
While trying to pay attention to the surroundings he saw Auruo quickly looking away.  
Levi couldn't ignore the looks he was getting anymore, they were almost constantly gazing at him – if not with some worry. He shook his head, "What?" he said out loud with a slightly annoyed tone.  
Petra's eyes widened and turned towards Eld, who just shrugged and looked the other way. _It's nice to see I can rely on my friends –_ she thought bitterly, they weren't comfortable with the fact that their captain was sick, but neither was she. After some minutes of a pretty awkward silence she decided to tell Levi the truth, "You look like shit, captain. I'm sure you feel like that as well." She then paused for a bit, expecting Levi to interrupt her – which he did not.  
"Hey, Petra …" Eld began with a slight quiver in his voice, but Petra was already formulating her next attempt to get through to Levi.  
"Look, just take it easy and –"  
"TITANS SPOTTED! FOUR 20-METER CLASS AT THE RIGHT FLANK!" someone yelled from up front, it appeared to be one of the members of the scouting troop east of them. They had been so focused on their captain that they had missed the flares from the east. It was too late to redirect everyone away from the titans. They had to fight.  
Levi cursed to himself and hoped they would be in time to assist the others, this was his fault. Hadn't he been sick they wouldn't have missed the goddamn flares. The Special Operations Squad was closest to the approaching titans, so they turned in one smooth movement, like they had done a million times before, and headed towards the east.

Levi and the others prepared their 3D maneuver gear and got ready to attack the titans. While galloping over the nearly flat terrain he looked at Petra once again and nodded reassuringly. That wasn't something he usually did, but Petra seemed genuinely concerned and he couldn't have her worrying about him while fighting titans.

Levi cleared his head, pushed back his dizziness and shot out of the saddle straight for the neck of the first titan, who appeared to be eating one of the corps. His gaze hardened and he sliced the tender spot of the titan. Not looking back he landed on the ground and stumbled, out of breath he doubled over in pain and coughed. His eyes were watering when he managed to stand upright again. He saw the vague silhouette of a titan nearby, so he prepared to go back in action.  
"Captain! Watch out!" someone called through the sounds of fighting. Levi turned just in time to see a titan approaching from behind. He quickly dashed aside and narrowly evaded the titan's attack. Lying on his back he saw no other way than to try and get on the titan, he was in a pinch. The titan bended over and tried to snatch Levi off of the ground, but at that moment Levi unleashed his maneuver gear and jumped over the arms aiming for the eyes of the monster. He blinded it and that bought him enough time to get to the back of the neck and kill it with a smooth cut of his blade.  
Standing on top of the titan's back, Levi looked around. There appeared to be no more signs of fighting, but his sight was still limited due to the steam of the degenerating titan bodies. There were parts of human bodies sprawled across the battle field, it didn't seem like many of the eastern scouting troop had made it. This could have been handled much more efficient and they could have had less casualties if he had been paying attention…  
A sharp pain in his head brought his thoughts back to the present. He reached for his head and sank down on one knee, slowly breathing in and out. He had to make sure everyone was alright and here he was, sitting on the ground like an idiot. He cursed at himself yet again, this was no time to be pitiful.

Petra searched for Levi. The bodies weren't much of a shock to her anymore, she had seen far worse. Also, the main thing on her mind now was her captain. She hoped he was alright, she suspected him of having a fever as well. Earlier in the day she had bumped into him by accident and he had felt pretty warm and clammy. He hadn't reacted to her comment about it back then, nor had he said anything just before departure. He had looked fine throughout the first part of the expedition but around midday it had gotten significantly worse.  
She jumped over a titan's carcass and spotted Levi sitting on one knee with his head clutched between his head like he had done earlier in the day. She called his name, "Captain!" as she paced towards him. The fight was over and they had to get back to the convoy quickly, so as not to draw any more attention from nearby titans.

Levi looked up as he heard Petra calling his name. He knew it was time to get back, the sooner the better. There was no point in staying here. He got up, swayed for a bit before he stood completely upright again, he felt even more miserable than a few minutes ago. He lifted his hand to signal Petra that he had heard her calling his name, then he took one more deep breath and walked towards the center where the rest must be gathering.  
As he arrived at the center of the battlefield, alongside Petra, he was shocked to see how little men were left over. Three quarter of the eastern scouting troop had been decimated by the titans. His squad seemed to be fine as they were already mounting their horses. Walking through the remaining troops he watched their traumatized faces as they gathered the emblems from their dead friends. He closed his eyes and thought about how they would never be the same again. As he approached his personal squad they all looked up but said nothing. None were in the mood to speak, nor was Levi. The silence between them was enough to understand how another was feeling.  
Levi mounted his horse as well and led the remaining men back to the convoy. While trotting through the bare lands, he wondered how so many men could have been defeated by four titans, of which he had killed two single-handedly. He shook his head and concentrated on the first task at hand, he could worry about other things later, now he had to concentrate on finding the convoy.

After approximately twenty minutes the first squad of the convoy was sighted at the horizon, it would probably take another ten minutes to reach them. Slightly relieved Levi looked behind him and then up at the sky; the sun was already setting, which meant they couldn't be far off from their destination. He had lost track of the distance they had covered already, so he wasn't sure.  
The last twenty minutes had been hell for Levi, the constant coughing – that he tried to cover up by coughing in his sleeve – had exhausted him to the point where he was barely able to stay awake. His headache hadn't subsided either.  
Five minutes away from the convoy he heard a flare go up in the sky and, from the back of his squad, he heard desperate yelling from the traumatized men at the back, "THREE TITANS! THEY'RE CATCHING UP TO US!"  
Levi turned around in the saddle and saw three titans speeding towards them. _Tsk. Those titans really have the best timing_ – he thought. He signaled his squad to follow him as he galloped to the back. This time he wasn't going to let them fight on their own.  
There seemed to be one 10-meter class titan and two 15-meter class titans.  
"I'll take the first one! Lure the other two away from the others!" Levi said. Without any more words they split up, Levi heading for the first titan and his team headed for the other two.  
The small titan was running exceptionally fast and Levi reached it faster than he had anticipated. Ignoring the gradually worsening stabs in his chest and head he shot out of the saddle, making a big curve to the right to avoid the flailing arms of the titan. He made a neat cut in the nape of the neck thus killing the filthy man-eater.  
Then a sudden wave of dizziness hit him, he fell on his knees and tried to get a hold of himself. _Shit _– he thought. While he was desperately trying to stay conscious he found it harder and harder to breathe. He shut his eyes firmly, trusting his squad to deal with the other two titans. Somewhere he heard a faint voice penetrating his mind, but he wasn't fully registering what was being said.

Petra and Eld tried to keep the titans busy while Auruo and Gunther aimed at their vulnerable neck. But something wasn't right, Petra noticed that one of the titans wasn't paying attention to them at all. It just seemed to play along. Then it dawned to her that this titan as no ordinary one, it was a deviant. Just as she tried to warn the others it made a break for it. The titan ran straight towards Levi who appeared to be crouching on the back of the steaming carcass. Signaling Eld she galloped after it, warning Levi on her way there. He didn't react to her screaming. She desperately tried to catch up to the titan but it was in vain.  
"Levi!" She yelled with tears forming in her eyes.

Just as Levi lifted his head towards the sound he felt a crushing force colliding with his side, pushing the air out of his already oxygen-deprived body. He flew a few feet before he hit the ground with a sickening thud. For a few moments he didn't know what had hit him until he saw the dirty smile of a titan standing right above him. Unable to make a sound or react, the world gradually started to fade as his mind drifted off into nothingness.

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**A/N – Right … so this was my poor attempt at a cliffhanger xD I wasn't really sure what to do during the expedition, so I hope it's not too badly written out. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think by clicking that lovely review button! C:**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my story, it really means a lot to me! I'm not really certain about my writing and some of those reviews really gave me a boost. :) Thanks again and enjoy!  
**

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"CAPTAIN!" Petra yelled on the top of her lungs. She had seen the force with which Levi had been sent flying. He was now lying lifeless on the ground and Petra feared the worst. _No. Levi can't be …_ \- she thought. The titan was bended over Levi, just staring at him. The look the titan was giving Levi gave her the shivers.  
Finally she was close enough, she spurred her horse one more time before she shot her maneuver gear at the titan and killed it before it knew what was happening. _Deviants are so exasperating _– she thought grimly. Her thoughts then quickly focused on Levi, who still hadn't moved or made a sound. She ran towards him and let out a relieved sigh as she saw him breathing, although too shallow for her liking. Moving Levi out of there and to the relative safety of the convoy was now first priority, she looked behind her and saw the rest of her squad galloping towards them.

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One of the soldiers who had witnessed the attack on Levi had taken it upon himself to inform the Commander. They probably weren't even aware of the fact that Levi's squad and the eastern scouting troop had encountered titans. He raced towards the middle of the convoy to look for the Commander, who should be located there. After a while he spotted his target, "Commander!" he yelled while raising his hand.

Erwin had been content about the course of the day. They were almost at their destination, where they were supposed to spend the night. The center convoy hadn't been in contact with any titans thanks to the correct usage of the flares. Still, he never let his guard down. Things can go wrong very fast when you're dealing with such humongous creatures like the titans.  
And just because everything had been going so well he hadn't expected a man from the eastern scouting troop to come at that moment without any flares coming from the east first. From far he just seemed like a normal messenger – until he saw that the man was covered in blood. He beckoned the man to come closer, "What happened?" he asked calmly.  
The soldier told Erwin everything that had happened in one breath. Everything from the moment they first encountered the titans to Levi being attacked. Erwin was shocked to hear that Levi was wounded, he hadn't thought he was so sick he couldn't even fend off a few titans. It was Levi after all. Even so, they should've used the flares to notify the rest. He nodded his thanks towards the poor messenger as he started to look for the most logical and safe way to get Levi, and the others, out of there as soon as possible. If Levi was hurt, whatever degree it may be, he probably wasn't able to ride his horse back to the convoy. According to the soldier's story Levi had been hit by the hand of a titan, the immense force of those things was enough to kill a man. He pondered over and over again about what he could do to possible help Levi and his squad out. Erwin couldn't send any men out there as they were all needed in their original positions to protect the carriages.  
He brushed his hand through his hair, what could he do? He thought for another moment to clearly read the plan that was forming in his head and then made the decision. He was going to get Levi himself. They were only half an hour away from their resting point and the titans were already becoming less active. Still … there was a commander needed here.  
He looked around and saw Hange busy talking about one of her experiments to a poor soul who appeared to be close to be bored to death by her. "Hange!" He called.  
Hange excused her from the conversation and trotted towards Erwin – not hearing the relieved sighs behind her. "What's up, commander?" she asked.  
"I need you to take over command until we reach the base."  
Hange noticed the strangely serious tone of the commander so she saluted instead of making one of her usual comments, "Will do, sir."  
Erwin nodded his thanks and then proceeded to the east, where Levi should be according to the report. He took a few men, who weren't needed around the carriages anymore, with him in case of another titan attack or if Levi needed to be transported securely.  
_Please be okay, Levi_ _– _he pleaded.

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The first thing Levi became aware of was the excruciating pain in his side, he was barely able to keep a groan from escaping his lips. For a few moments he was pretty disorientated, where was he…? Then everything came back to him in a gulf of pain; the titan attack, his sickness, barely being able to breathe… he took a deep breath and coughed – which caused his side to hurt even more. This time he wasn't able to hold back and sound escaped from his mouth – much to Levi's annoyance.  
"Hey, captain? Are you okay?"  
"Of course he's not okay, can't you see that?!"  
"Ahum. Right."  
"Do you have any water with you?"  
"Yeah, I do. Wait a sec, I'll go and get it."  
"Great."  
What annoyed Levi even more where the loud voices piercing through his head like lightning. He tried lifting his arm, which went remarkably well, and put it on his head to try and stop the voices from talking. Seeing he could lift his arm without much effort, he concluded he could open his eyes as well. He blinked a few times to adjust to the light, which was luckily not as strong as before.  
"Welcome back, captain." Petra said softly. The last ten minutes had been tense, but now Levi had finally waken up she felt much better. She reckoned the rest must feel the same way.  
Levi didn't bother to answer, he was busy trying to ignore the blazing fury going on in his chest and head. Yet, he was also already figuring out a way to get back to the convoy, which was the most important at that moment. He could be looked after later.  
"Hey Petra, I couldn't find my water… I must've left it somewh- Oh hey captain! Yes, yes, I can just seeeee that you're bursting with interest on how I took down the remaining tita-"  
"Shut up, Auruo!" Petra exclaimed, "Do you really think this is the time for your bragging-games? If you reallly feel the need to do so, go do it on your own." She shook her head, that man would never learn.  
Levi did not respond to the bickering of those two, he had given up on that long ago. Taking a deep breath he put one elbow under his uninjured side and pushed himself upwards. The pain he felt by doing that small movement was indescribable, but on the outside there was a mere pained frown on his face.  
Petra's attention was drawn back to Levi as he tried to sit up, she was about to say something but wisely decided not to. There was no way in hell she could talk Levi out of standing, even though she wished she could. Her hands were just floating aimlessly around Levi to support him whenever he made his next move.  
"Where is the rest?" Levi asked with a hoarse voice. The question came out of nowhere, the pain in his voice was noticeable and stunned Petra for a few seconds before she regained herself and answered his question, "It's just us. The rest proceeded towards the convoy. I believe one of the men went ahead to warn the Commander of the events from this afternoon. They probably still don't even know about anything…"  
Levi just nodded as he was preparing himself to sit upright. Somewhere far in his mind he knew he shouldn't be getting up so fast, but with night approaching they couldn't stay out any longer or it would be practically impossible to find the way back. These plains had the tendency to become foggy at night.  
He braced himself for the pain as he sat up in one go. He sat upright gasping for air, he closed his eyes and tried to recollect himself. This was no easy task; the pain he was feeling right now was something he had never experienced before.  
Petra cringed at seeing Levi's face, "Hey, captain …" she tried, "Take it easy, the Commander is hopefully on his way."  
Levi looked up at Petra, realizing he would never be able to stand up on his own. He should at least be standing before Erwin arrived, they couldn't waste time on him being invalid.  
Reluctantly he stuck out his arm, "Could you give me a hand?" he asked as casual as possible. Petra gave him half a smile as she helped him get up, she was glad he asked for help how little it may be. Because that could mean he realized how serious his injuries were. Standing up proved to be even more difficult and painful than sitting up. Again Levi was out of breath and this time barely conscious from the pain. He slung his arm around Petra's neck for support. That movement stunned Petra for the second time this day, _he really mustn't be feeling good_ – she thought and added sarcastically _no shit, Petra._ to her thoughts a few seconds later.  
"Where's my … where's my horse?" Levi managed.  
"What? Are you crazy?! You can barely stand and you're asking for your horse?" Petra said, her voice filled with unbelief. This time she wasn't going to go easy on him, what was he thinking? She knew he didn't want to be a burden, but this was just over-doing it.  
"Hey! I see four men approaching! One of them seems to be the Commander!" Eld interrupted. He had been on watch a few feet away to ensure there were no titans nearby.  
Petra sighed in relief, they had made it!

Levi felt Petra's grasp loosen in relief as she heard the news from Eld. He wriggled free from her shoulder and even managed to get some dirt of his cloak as he stood there waiting for the approaching men to arrive. He also was relieved to hear the Commander was with them, but not for the same reason. For him it meant the convoy had successfully reached the resting point without much trouble, otherwise the Commander wouldn't have come to get them himself.

Erwin saw a vague outlining of a man waving in the distance. Glad they had finally found the Special Operations Squad he gave his horse the spurs and galloped towards the figure, the three other men following closely behind. As he arrived where the squad had been resting he was relieved to see Levi alive and well. That was the main reason why they had come here in the first place. He was somewhat happy that he didn't have to worry about that – for now. He loudly cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. There wasn't much time left and he didn't want to get stuck on these plains at night. "Everyone!" he began, "First of all, I'm glad to see you standing, captain. Second, we need to get out of here before night falls. We prepared a stretcher for you Levi, if you don't feel well – and you certainly look like you don't – you can take place on that. Everyone else, mount your horses!"  
"I'm fine riding my horse, Erwin." Levi stated. During Erwin's explanation he had already sought support from a stone and right now he was standing with one arm across his chest trying to look as convincing as he could. There was no way in hell he would be getting on that stretcher.  
Petra snorted at that statement, but didn't make a comment, it was the Commander's decision, not hers.  
Erwin slightly raised his eyebrow as he looked at Levi swaying on his feet. There was no time to argue so he let Levi mount his horse, he would be closely watching him while riding back.  
After Levi went to fetch his horse, Erwin signaled Petra to come, "How's he?" he asked.  
"He's definitely not okay, sir. I honestly can't believe he insisted on riding his horse back. He's in pain, it may not be that obvious, but you should've seen him earlier. Also the force with which he was hit … It's a miracle he's already standing." Petra said, glad she could tell the truth.  
"You know how he is," Erwin said, "keep an eye on him on the way back."  
Petra sighed and nodded, she knew all too well how Levi was. "I will." She said as she turned and went to look for Levi.

Levi braced himself for the way back, he had managed to filter most of the pain out – but that didn't mean he wasn't feeling any pain at all. He was also still sick from this morning and that definitely wasn't helping out. Every time he coughed his chest and side burned up painfully. He wasn't even sure how he had climbed on his horse. While waiting for the others to get ready he was trying to list his injuries. He was fairly sure he had a couple of broken ribs and a concussion – not to mention the bruises his left side was covered in. He tiredly shook his head to try and clear it as he wiped his hand across his face.

"Alright! Let's go!" Erwin said in a loud voice as he glanced once more towards Levi to make sure he was doing okay. "Keep close, Levi." He ordered the injured man as they took off in the dusk.

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**A/N – This wasn't an easy chapter to write, I've changed it countless times and I'm still not very content with it, but ah well .. :P Some characters may be a bit OOC** **because I maaaay have neglected to do my research hehe :3. I kind of based their characters on what I have seen and read in the anime and manga. Please review, I would greatly appreciate it if you did! ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N – I would like to thank for the lovely reviews, I've said it before but it really means a lot to me, thank you! :D  
I will try to upload the following chapters on a regular basis, there will probably be one or two more chapters(?). Enjoy! :)  
**

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They had been riding for about twenty minutes and it was already completely dark. They had been lucky to get out of the plains in time, if you looked back the fog was clearly visible. Though, looking back was not really in Levi's mind right now. He had put on a strong demeanor the whole time, but he was nearing his limit. For the first time since long the only thing he wanted to do was rest, he just wanted to curl up on the ground and sleep. He didn't know how far they had gotten already, so there was no way he could predict when exactly they would arrive at their destination.  
He shot a quick look to the right, where Petra had been the whole time. Erwin had probably ordered her to stay next to him - not that she wouldn't have if Erwin hadn't ordered her to. Levi had been going over and over the events of that day but some parts just seemed to be missing. He was so sunken in his thoughts trying to fill in the blanks that he hadn't noticed he started to breathe more heavily than before. He wasn't able to recollect himself anymore, his energy was just completely drained. This, of course, only worsened the pain 'till the point he couldn't put up a straight face anymore. He coughed and doubled over in the saddle from the pain, he had probably groaned loud enough for everyone to hear. He really was at his limit… Levi fought to stay conscious while resting his head on the neck of his horse, that suddenly appeared to be standing still.

Erwin had halted his horse when he heard the pained groan from behind. "Alright, Levi, that's enough. I can see you're hurting and this is not going to work." Erwin said sternly as he jumped off of his horse. He had to get Levi on that stretcher so they could continue, they had lost too much time already. He beckoned two of the men who had come with him, "Get that stretcher ready." He ordered.  
Levi hadn't even heard Erwin as he drifted in and out of this world, just managing to stay in the saddle. He slightly lifted his head and looked at Petra, whose face was filled partly with worry and partly with anger just before he blacked out and fell off his horse.  
"Captain!" Petra yelled as she jumped off her horse trying to reach him in time before he hit the ground, in vain. She felt like she had yelled his name too many times already.  
Erwin saw Levi slide off his horse just as he wanted to order him to get on the stretcher. He looked back at his men who were almost ready, "Hurry up!" He yelled. He ran towards Levi and kneeled beside him, _How could he have been riding so long in this condition? – _He thought while looking at the man's appearance.  
Petra's hands were hovering above Levi, unsure of what to do. She desperately looked up at Erwin, "I've never seen him like this …" she sobbed.  
Erwin was thinking about what to say, somehow he felt the need to give Petra some form of comfort. Just when he wanted to say something to comfort her, the two men he had ordered to prepare the stretcher came trotting towards them. "Is it stable?" he asked doubtfully as he looked at the makeshift stretcher. They had never used those before so he wasn't sure whether it would hold an injured man.  
"We think so." One of the men answered, pushing the thing back and forth as to demonstrate that it wasn't as bad as it looked.  
"Good," Erwin said convinced, "help me get him on it. Be careful. And Petra, I need you to take his horse along." He said looking at her as he tried to comfort her with his eyes.  
They carefully lifted Levi onto the stretcher, which was placed between two horses to keep it as stable as possible. Then they proceeded once more towards the temporary base, cautious of their injured comrade.

/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)

Hange had been waiting outside the whole time, next to the guards. After Erwin had gone, the messenger who had informed Erwin first had told her the story as well. At first she had been shocked when she heard her lovely titans had hurt their captain, but then she remembered how awful he had looked that morning. This was actually the first time Levi had gotten hurt on an expedition … she didn't remember him ever getting sick either. A pretty unfortunate coincidence. She'd been standing outside for quite some time already, and she started wondering whether something had happened underway. Just at that moment she spotted a group of men nearing the base. Relieved she sprung off of the wall and sprinted towards the entrance. "Eeeey!" she yelled waving her hands in the air.

Just as Erwin and the rest saw the base appear at the horizon they heard a very loud voice calling out, one that could only be from one person. Erwin shook his head and smiled, _I hope she never changes_ – he thought. "Alright men!" Erwin began, "Pick up the pace, we're almost there!" When they finally arrived at the rather small outside walls, Levi still was out cold.  
They walked through the gate and were baffled to see that almost every member of the Corps was standing outside waiting for their return. Apparently everyone had heard the rumor of humanity's strongest warrior getting hurt in battle. Erwin cringed internally, Levi would kill him if he carried him through this crowd. Deciding not to put Levi into sight of everyone he brought him to the small shed at the entrance, that would do for now. He ordered Petra to go and get the doctor while they laid Levi down.

The first thing Levi noticed while waking up were the cold hands on his chest. Not knowing where he was his instinct kicked in and grabbed the stranger's arm almost breaking it. He opened his eyes and shot the most killing look towards the dark silhouette standing above him. This proved to be pretty exhausting as his grasp was already loosening.  
"He-hey…" the stranger mumbled frightened.  
"Who are you?" Levi barely managed.  
"I-I'm the doctor." The man said. He had treated many large men, who looked far more frightening than Levi. But somehow he couldn't move a muscle. _This man really is something_ – he thought.  
"Oh." Levi said as he slowly let the man go, he was too tired to do more or even ask questions, so he assumed the man was speaking the truth. He proceeded to put his hand on his face to try and stop the world from turning. He heard a relieved sigh from the doctor who was rubbing his painful wrist.  
Just when he wanted to ask where he was, because the last thing he remembered was riding next to Petra, Erwin walked in.  
"How is he?" Erwin asked, not knowing Levi had just woken up. They had been at the base for about an hour right now. He had taken care of some urgent tasks and decided to come and check on Levi.  
"I'm fine." It sounded from under him.  
Erwin ignored Levi, "What about his injuries?" he needed to know how they should transport Levi the next day. They still needed to reach one more supply point before they could head back to civilization, and Levi was in no shape to ride on his horse. Maybe on one of the carriages…  
Levi rolled his eyes but was reluctant to make a comment.  
"Hmm … He's lucky. I've never treated anyone who lived through taking a direct hit from a titan." The doctor said. He was pretty surprised at the fact that the Commander had completely ignored his patient but he just picked up his list and continued, "There appeared to be a long gash on his side, and it was pretty deep. I reckon he sustained that injury when he hit the ground. Luckily it had already stopped bleeding, so I just bandaged it up. It was a clean cut so it didn't need any stitches. He also has a pretty severe concussion and several broken ribs. His whole left side is bruised, so I suppose that's where the titan hit him. There's not much I can do, sadly." He paused for a moment, looking for something he might've missed. Then he remembered that his patient had been coughing a lot, "Oh, one more thing," he added quickly, "has he been sick by any chance? He seems to be coughing quite a bit and that's definitely not improving his current condition."  
Erwin nodded, "He was sick this morning, but he appeared to have gotten better during the day. Though I do suspect the reason he got hurt was because he's sick."  
"That could indeed be." The doctor agreed, "Well, I'm going to leave you to it, if anything new comes up, please come and get me. I'll be discussing this matter with my colleagues." He said just before leaving the small wooden shed.  
Erwin watched the doctor leave and then looked at Levi who appeared to be very uncomfortable. He was still lying on the stretcher and that gave no extra comfort so basically he was lying on the floor. He had originally come here to look if Levi had awaken yet so they could place him somewhere more comfortable than this rundown place. He also knew Levi was definitely not going to agree to being carried out of here. There were still quite a few curious members of the corps standing outside.

Levi was waiting for Erwin to say something. He had only managed to partially listen to the doctor's explanation, so he wasn't about to break the pretty painful silence. Now that he was fully awake his chest and side had started burning again, his head wouldn't stop pounding either – but that was only the least of his pain. He sighed softly, this was going to be one hell of an expedition.  
"Levi?" Erwin asked softly as he crouched next to him, "Would you be able to move towards the main building?"  
_The main building?_ – Levi wondered. He looked around and noticed he was in a tiny dark and filthy(!) wooden house, no wonder he felt so uncomfortable. He groaned as he pushed himself upright without a thought, "Yeah." He breathed, he wasn't planning to stay any longer in this filthy place. The dust and germs that must be there made him cringe.  
Erwin stuck out his hand, "Come on then." He said.  
Levi gladly accepted the help and grabbed Erwin's hand as he pushed himself upwards. He stood bended for a moment, being held steady by Erwin. Levi then slowly raised himself and groaned from the exertion.  
Erwin waited for a moment until Levi seemed ready, he then subtly grabbed Levi's elbow to keep him upright as they gradually walked to the door.

Levi was breathing hard and suppressed a few coughs as he walked outside. The first few steps had been the worst, but after some more it became less painful. His muscles were probably stiff from laying on the cold ground. He felt a few gazes focused on him as he walked over the square towards the main building, but he didn't care.  
When they entered the building most of the conversations that had been going on fell silent, they watched the commander and Levi walk painfully slow towards the right corner where a few blankets had been prepared for the injured captain.  
When they finally reached Levi's spot they saw Petra sound asleep next to it. Erwin couldn't help but smile, she had been a great help. _She must have been exhausted_ – he thought.  
"Alright Levi, I'm going to leave you here." He wanted to add that he would be only a hallway away for when anything was wrong but he doubted Levi would appreciate that. So he just helped Levi sit down and walked back towards his paperwork, he still had quite some things to prepare before he would get the chance to sleep.

Most of the conversations had started back up when Levi sat down, Levi shooting glares probably had something to do with it as well. He looked at Petra lying beside him before he leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

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**A/N – Oh my, this chapter was even harder than the previous one! I hope it's good enough for you guys and pleeeease review if you have the time. Thank you ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – The next chapter, yahoo! I'm having so much fun writing this story, thank you all for taking the time to read. Enjoy! :D  
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It had been an hour since everyone had gone to sleep, all but one. Levi hadn't been able to find sleep. Though, the only thing Levi wanted to do was lay down and sleep, but he couldn't. On every expedition he usually went outside before sleeping and looked up at the sky and stars. That reminded him of the moments he had spent with Farlan and Isabel, dreaming about the outside. Dreaming about how life would have been on the surface, where they wouldn't have to worry about getting food every day. Where they wouldn't have to worry about anything other than themselves. Every night when he was outside the walls he paid his respects to his friends by looking up at the stars and imagining them there to be with him. After all this time the pain of losing them hadn't subsided. His pride had cost the lives of the only friends he had ever had. And now, that day, he had almost gotten his squad killed as well. They were the closest to friends he had right then.  
He opened his eyes again and was disappointed when the only thing he saw was a stone ceiling. Deciding he needed to go and breathe in some fresh air he pushed himself up. He had gotten pretty much used to the pain so he was able to navigate through the sleeping soldiers silently. Once had gotten outside he took a deep breath. That resulted in him having another coughing fit, but he didn't care. He slid down with his back against the wall as he slowly breathed out. As the cold breeze of the night caressed his pale face he closed his eyes and cherished the silence of the darkness.

Erwin had finally finished with his paperwork. It actually wasn't necessary to do so much paperwork while on expedition, but Erwin felt uncomfortable when he hadn't done enough. Others thought he was crazy at times, but he saw it more as a way of living. He brushed his hands through his hair and stretched his back muscles. His room was in a completely different direction than where Levi was, so he decided to go for a little stroll before he would give in to the sleep that had been lingering behind his eyes the whole night. He casually walked towards the large room where most of the men were sound asleep. Looking around he didn't spot Levi immediately, but he didn't want to disturb the others so he just made his way towards the door. He could take the backdoor to his room so he wouldn't have to walk through the sleeping men again. As he walked outside he noticed the pretty heavy breeze coming from the west, he would have to calculate that into their route tomorrow. They weren't sure whether titans could smell them or not, but he wasn't about to take the chance. Staying out of the wind was the safest bet.  
He had almost walked by the dark shadow sitting against the wall if he hadn't heard the small sigh that had come from that direction. He slowly turned his head, partially expecting who would be sitting there. _Old habits die hard, eh?_ – Erwin thought as he watched Levi slowly breathing in the air. He decided to leave him to it as he proceeded to walk to his room, he could talk to Levi the next morning.

The next morning Levi found himself still sitting outside, _I must've dozed off – _He thought. The sun was just peeking above the horizon and the courtyard was silent. He stretched his arms, minding his ribs. Afterwards he tried to get up, which wasn't as easy as it sounded. Everything had stiffened up and his chest burned even more than the day before. But eventually he managed to stand up, angry at how much effort it took him for such a mundane thing he looked at the stars who were slowly disappearing in the sunlight. _I'll see you next time Farlan, Isabel._ – he said to the stars as he breathed the air in one more time before walking to the main building.  
As he entered the building he noticed that most of the men were gradually waking up. He leaned against the door thinking about what to do, he wouldn't get a chance to talk to Petra anyway.  
"Ah, captain Levi! I didn't think you'd be up already!" Hange yelled from the opposite direction. Levi looked up and realized he hadn't seen her since the start of the expedition. He felt like he should acknowledge her in some way so he awkwardly raised his hand. She smiled and waved back excitedly, "I'll see you around!"  
Levi couldn't help a small smile forming on his face. Hange definitely knew how to raise people's mood. He then lifted himself from his pretty awkward position and tried to walk back to his spot where he had spent the night as his legs gave out under him and he sank to his knees. He gasped and coughed when he felt something crack and grasped his ribs. He sat there with his head on the ground trying to breathe through the pain. He hadn't suspected his injuries to heal overnight, but he hadn't suspected them to still hurt so much either. He could barely find the strength to put his hand firmly on the ground, as the other was still clutching his ribs. Just as he wanted to pick himself up from the ground he felt a hand on his arm that pulled him up. "You're not supposed to be walking, sir." Levi heard vaguely. It was one of the doctors. "Come, let me help you sit down." Levi wanted to shrug the man's hand off, he didn't like other people touching him. But knowing he needed the help he reluctantly agreed to sit down. Once again he was sitting against the wall with his head leaned back and his eyes closed. "You'll really need to take it easy, I don't want you to exert yourself." The doctor said. "How are you feeling?"  
Levi didn't feel like answering so he just let the silence last.  
"Right … May I check your side and your temperature? You seem to be running a fever and-"  
"I'll be fine in a bit, I just stumbled." Levi mumbled.  
The doctor sighed, "I'm sorry, but to be honest it didn't look like that and I'll really need to check you over."  
Just when Levi wanted to fire a retort at the man he heard the only voice he hadn't wanted to hear just yet.  
"Did something happen?" an authoritative voice called.  
The doctor was relieved to see the Commander, now he may be able to check up on this stubborn patient. "Yes, actually. I witnessed the captain falling to the ground and he wasn't able to get back up on his own. I just want to check up on him because he seems to be running a fever again."  
"And I said I'm fine." Levi said curtly shooting a defying glare at Erwin. He didn't want to be cared for in the courtyard, or anywhere else for that matter.  
"Look Levi, I understand that you do not want to show any signs of weakness, but I also want you to know the kind of risks that brings along. If you're going to keep ignoring your injuries like that they will only get worse and it'll take longer for you to recover. You got hit by a titan, that's not something to be taken lightly. Now, get yourself checked out, and that isn't a question if you may had interpreted it that way." Erwin admonished. "Doctor, you can go ahead." He said as he turned around and walked back inside.  
"Alright, if you could just keep still for me …" the doctor said hesitantly.  
Levi did what the doctor asked, there was no point in arguing anymore. Though he must hand it to Erwin – he could be pretty persuasive when he wanted to be.  
After the doctor had checked him up the sun was almost breaking through and the courtyard was filled with movement. They needed to leave exactly when the bottom of the sun touched the horizon. Levi looked expectantly up at the doctor, he wanted to leave and look for his squad but he was just sitting here being useless. A minute passed and Levi was getting impatient.  
"Hmm … you're clearly running a pretty high fever." The doctor said absently, "I'll need you to rest as much as possible. I don't want you putting more stress on those ribs. We prepared a carriage for you to lie in."  
Levi nodded, he knew that he needed to rest a bit. He was stubborn but he knew when to give in and listen to others. The doctor would be reporting directly to the Commander Levi reckoned, so he tried to be as polite as possible, "I would like to go to my squad first."  
The doctor hesitated for a bit but agreed, "That's fine with me, but don't you dare to go near your horse, you understand? Do you need any help getting there?"  
Levi didn't like the new tone of the doctor but he shook his head, "I'll be fine." He'd be fine. He pushed himself up, for the third time that day, and staggered towards his squad's gathering point. The fever was clearly having an effect on him as his vision blurred now and then and he certainly felt a bit light-headed. But he needed to talk to his squad, to Petra, before the convoy left.

Petra was preparing the equipment and she just happened to look behind her when Levi was staggering towards her. The rest of the squad were still busy checking the gear for any faults. She moved to Levi until she was close enough to him to be heard, "What on earth are you doing here, captain?!"  
"I needed to talk to you." He said.  
"Idiot … You need to rest, not talk." she mumbled, though she was glad to see him standing. It may not look very convincing, but it was something.  
"I just wanted to thank you, that's all."  
Petra was speechless, she hadn't expected this ever coming from her captain. Without saying a word she saluted, her feet clicking into position as tears welled up in her eyes. "I, no we, will always have your back." She said. The rest of the squad had picked up the conversation, so they went to stand next to Petra and saluted as well. "Always." They said in unison.

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**A/N – I hope you all enjoyed this more emotional side of Levi, I certainly did. I'm sorry it's a bit shorter than the others but I really felt like the salute was the moment to end the chapter. Thanks for reading and please please please review! I would also like to thank DAIrinchan for giving me an idea on how to write Erwin's reprimand. (thanks to the review c:) This also may be the end of this fanfic – I don't know. I would like the opinion of you all. What do I do with it? ^^**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N – First of all I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Sorry for the delay on the chapter, but I've been celebrating the holidays with my family. :) Right, so some of you who reviewed wanted me to continue the story, so here it is! I've had a few more ideas, and I mean come on … I can't let them stay outside the walls, eh? ;P Enjoy!**

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After Petra had watched Levi walk to the carriage where he would probably reside for the rest of the expedition, she turned back to her equipment. They hadn't really thought about the fact that Levi wouldn't be there that day. The chemistry they had when Levi was leading them through the endless fields was indescribable. Also, the thought of leaving their captain alone was disturbing, even though he would be the most safe of them all. They'd wanted to escort the carriage themselves, but Erwin had denied their request. Naturally, Eld had taken command and had been against the idea of escorting Levi as well. He had told them about their honor and duty as members of the Recon Corps and that they needed to get their feelings straight. Petra, at first, had been shocked, but then again … whenever Eld said something he was as blunt as one could be. The man was right, their duty was to protect the whole convoy, not just one soldier. Levi wouldn't have approved either.  
Their goodbye had been brief, but their salute had said more than a thousand words could ever say. You never knew whether you would return from an expedition or not, you never knew when you'd talked to a certain person for the last time. When they were outside the walls they lived from hour to hour. Yet, this was what they were born to do. These expeditions were the only hope of humanity taking back their rightful place in the world, they were the only hope of ever defeating the titans. Keeping this in mind Petra climbed on her horse and guided it towards the convoy. The sun was almost up and everyone was ready to depart. The second day was about to begin. _Be safe, everyone._ – she prayed.

Erwin was standing at the front of the convoy, now was the time to talk. The previous day had went well, barely any titans had been sighted and they had suffered minimal casualties. Though, they'd lost their most powerful soldier and the wind that'd picked up overnight wasn't something to ignore either, it could work at a disadvantage. Everyone needed to be even more vigilant. "Soldiers of the Recon Corps!" He began, "Again, we stand here at the break of dawn to face the titans outside. We've been lucky that we haven't encountered as many titans, but please do not lose your vigilance. Today we will, again, make another step forward for the sake of humanity. Do not let the soldiers who have lost their lives by the hands of the titans be in vain. Go forth and do not falter, we will not be suppressed by the titans!" He yelled as he took off towards the upcoming sun with the whole convoy following right behind. Progressing over the land everyone gradually took their positions, as did the Special Operations Squad.

Levi was shaken awake by the sudden movement of the carriage. It appeared he had fallen asleep, which was not so surprising as he was utterly exhausted. The carriage he was laying in was stationed in the middle of the convoy, west of the Commander's position. It was deemed the most safe place during expeditions. Though, Levi would rather be next to his squad, because they were risking their lives when he was laying safely inside. He forbade himself from falling asleep again as he pushed himself upright. He'd been placed on some comfortable sheets, and that definitely didn't help him stay awake. He wanted to see what was going on outside, at the very least. The doctor who was with him didn't seem to have noticed that Levi had moved towards the front of the carriage, so he could look outside. The doctor had been placed with him just before they had left base, apparently it had been on request from the Commander himself.  
The person who was driving their transport had tensed for a moment when Levi appeared behind him, but hadn't made a comment. Levi groaned as he repositioned himself against the wooden back, it certainly wasn't as comfortable as the sheets he'd been sleeping on. He looked outside with weary eyes and he saw some flares going up in the skies already. The whole convoy swerved in the opposite direction of where the flares were coming from. It was unusual that titans were sighted this early. Levi felt an uneasy feeling coming up, he wasn't superstitious but that definitely wasn't a good sign. He had noticed a pretty strong wind as well, though at the moment it didn't seem significant enough to worry about.  
Levi found it pretty interesting to watch the convoy's movements from a different position than usual, now he could really see how well Erwin had worked out his strategy.  
Suddenly he heard a small cough behind him, "Excuse me, sir?"  
Levi didn't answer but he did turn his head. He was going probably going to spend the whole day with this doctor so he'd better be a bit more … agreeable.  
"It's better for you if you'd lay down a bit, I can't imagine those wooden boxes to be comfortable."  
Levi waved his hand dismissively and turned his gaze back towards the outside, he didn't care for comments like that. The kid would understand sooner or later.  
"Right… There's food and water in this box over here." The doctor simply said as he walked over and plopped down next to Levi with a dorky smile on his face.  
Levi raised an eyebrow at the young man.  
Just at that moment the carriage abruptly stopped which caused Levi to slam chest first into the wooden stair.

Erwin had only once seen something like this before, but that had been in a textbook safely inside the walls of his school. The wind currents had been an early sign of this storm, he should've known. He'd never heard about a storm getting this big so fast before though. It seemed to have just popped up from nowhere. The immensely dark cloud was approaching at a horrifyingly fast pace, directly in front of them.  
He then took a dangerous decision, he stopped the convoy.  
His first rule had always been to never stop, whatever happened, but now he had no other choice than to stop the convoy and try to get it to head to the east. The clouds seemed less thick there. "Shoot up the flares!" he yelled through the wind, "We're heading east!"  
In one smooth motion the convoy started back up and turned towards where the eastern scouting troops were. Erwin was galloping next to one of the carriages to make sure everyone remained in their positions. The wind was getting faster and faster and rain had started to fall, the cloud seemed to swallow the convoy up as everyone disappeared in the layers of rain.

Levi lay on the ground, clutching his ribs and trying not to cough. _The hell …_ \- He grumbled to himself. Erwin had never stopped the convoy before.  
The doctor put his hand on Levi's back as he tried to get up, "Stay down for a bit, sir, it seems we're in for some more action." He said and then continued soon after, "There's a huge cloud coming this way, we're in for some heavy weather."  
Levi shrugged the hand off and crawled back up, his eyes widened at the size of the storm that was approaching them. Just then the carriage started moving again and made a sharp turn to the right, but Levi managed to stay upright this time. The rain followed soon after, which made it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.  
Levi cursed, of course this had to happen when he was out of action. The roaring wind and the loud rain rumbling on the roof of the carriage were the worst combination for Levi as he sat back down again, massaging his temples. The titans usually didn't come out in this weather, so they would be relatively safe from that. The only problem was to not lose sight of each other.

Erwin was thinking about solutions as of how to keep the convoy together as he galloped towards the front of the convoy, at least where it should be. They hadn't had the chance to wait and see if green flares had come from the east, so they had no clue if those troops were warned about the change of direction. He passed a few carriages and squinted his eyes against the rain. _There!_ – he yelled in himself. He spotted a faint light through the curtains of rain, presumably the the sun coming through the storm. Relieved he shot a sound flare in the air to guide the rest towards his position.

Petra had been following Eld through the storm, desperately trying to keep up with him. She had no clue of where the rest of the squad was. They had had no warning of the upcoming storm, suddenly they had been engulfed in darkness as rain had started pouring down. Eld had directed them towards the last known position of the convoy, but it seemed like the rest hadn't followed. Worrying about her friends she pushed through the rain as she heard a sound flare coming west of them. "Eld!" she yelled pointing towards the direction of the sound.  
"Yeah, come on!" Eld answered as they headed west.  
Petra hoped the others had heard it as well.

Erwin had been curiously following the progress of the storm from when he spotted the light peeking through the clouds. They had been barging through the storm for only about ten minutes but it seemed to clear up already. The wind wasn't as furious as before and the rain was slowly decreasing. He wondered how much they had deviated from their course. They'd been going at full speed in the opposite direction of where they were supposed to be, this storm had been pretty unfortunate. He slowed down a bit and looked behind him, he could see much further than before. Most of the convoy seemed to be present.

As the storm cleared up the convoy slowly trotted on the sodden grounds, everyone was soaked and tired. No one seemed to be missing at first glance, except for the two other members of Levi's squad. Most of the scouting troops had spotted the flares in time, so they had made it back to the convoy safely.  
Petra followed Eld through the carriages, they were looking for commander Erwin. There was still a slight drizzle, not that it mattered much as they were soaked to the bone already. As they slalomed between the carriages they heard a horrified scream that was cut off soon after. Petra prayed for it not to be titans as she turned her head. Her prayers were not heard as she spotted two 20-meter class titans chewing on a soldier. She raced next to Eld towards the titans, there was no need to communicate as they both knew what they had to do.  
Her heart was pounding forcefully in her chest, because the titans were standing where Levi supposedly was. Several carriages had been trampled on, but she was looking for a specific one. Levi's carriage had a large blue line on both sides, so it could be found easily. Just as she spotted it, one of the titans lifted his foot and crushed the small wooden transport. Petra let out a horrified scream. She kicked her horse to try and get it to go faster, she had to get there in time.  
"Petra! I'm going ahead, be careful!" Eld yelled after her as she left him behind. Just as she was in range she shot out her maneuver gear and killed the titan in a rage. The other titan was still moving along the convoy, being followed by Eld and other soldiers as Petra ran towards the crushed carriage. Blood was spattered everywhere, and she saw a red hand sticking from under the debris. She had witnessed the driver getting eaten by the titan, so that could only mean one thing … She fell on her knees in the mud and dropped her blades. The convoy was slowly disappearing out of sight as she let the first tears fall.

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**A/N – Another attempt at a cliffhanger! Muahaha … I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I tried my best! I'm still not fully satisfied, but I will be if my readers are. Thank you and as always pleaseeee review! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N – I don't have much to say this time (woah :o) but I do want to thank ghosteyes444 for the tip in her review. I will now write dialogues with "" quotation marks instead of these ''. I also changed them in all the previous chapters T.T Enjoy!**

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Levi had felt the presence of the titans long before the scream had sounded over the plains. He jumped up, ignoring the pain, and climbed outside next to the driver of his transport.  
"Where's Erwin?" He asked pressingly, the driver didn't answer soon enough for him so he didn't wait. He grabbed one of the horses who were tied up to the carriage and galloped towards the middle, hoping to find Erwin before it was too late. He didn't have his 3D maneuver gear and he was fairly sure he couldn't handle a titan, that he had finally realized. Riding the horse was draining all of his remaining energy, but he had to get to Erwin, if not someone else.  
He just knew there were titans, all these years of training and the time he had spent in the Underground had helped him develop these insane instincts.  
Just as he spotted Erwin's horse he heard a deafening scream coming west from him. He weighed out his options for a moment, he could go to Erwin even though he'd probably heard about it already, or he could turn around to try and see what he could do. It was a fast decision. Levi turned his horse around and galloped towards the sounds of screaming. He then quickly swerved to the side to avoid a titan that ran past him, he had been so focused on staying in the saddle that he hadn't even noticed the thing. His instincts were dulled by the pain, and that really got on his nerves.  
Just as the titan passed he saw Eld and a few other soldiers a few feet behind it. Petra wasn't with him, nor was Auruo or Gunther. An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach as he yelled to Eld, "Where's everyone else?"  
Eld pointed his hand in the direction where Levi was headed. Levi kicked his horse and took off, the cautioning words of Eld never reaching his ears.  
Levi wasn't someone that allowed people to come close to him, yet … Somehow Petra had managed to reach him. He hadn't been this close to anyone since Isabel and Farlan had died. Petra was his friend, as were the others. He shook his head to clear his mind and pushed through.  
The first thing he saw were the broken carriages and the dead horses lying across the grass, which was now stained red with their blood. He trotted between them as he called out, "Hey!"

Petra's head shot up as she heard a familiar voice calling from not too far away. She wiped her eyes, grabbed her blades and slowly stood up. She'd been right. Levi wasn't dead, how could he be? She laughed and thought about how stupid she must have looked.  
"Captain!" she called, tears welling up in her eyes yet again, but this time from happiness.

Levi suddenly heard his name, he recognized Petra's voice. He got off his horse and walked between the debris towards her, trying not to stumble.  
"What the hell are you still doing here?" He exclaimed. This fell to deaf ears as Petra ran towards him and threw her arms around his neck. She sobbed in his shoulder, for one time she was glad he was so stubborn.  
Levi stood there for a second, baffled, but then he pushed her away. He didn't appreciate such uninvited affectionate behavior. The brute movement from her 'hug' hadn't improved his pain, she'd just barely missed his ribs. "Are you stupid?" he said, hardly containing his anger. "You're not supposed to stray off and leave your teammates alone. What the hell were you thinking!"  
Petra backed off and looked at her feet, "I just .. I thought yo-"  
"Never mind." Levi interrupted, "We need to get out of here, where's your horse?" It was already noon and titans' attacks became more frequent during this time of day. They couldn't waste any time.  
Petra looked around, but didn't see her horse anywhere. _It must've run along with Eld _– she thought. It would be futile to try and call it back. "She doesn't seem to be here." She admitted.  
Levi rolled his eyes as he mounted his horse, "Come on, and please be careful this time."  
Petra nodded as she carefully climbed behind Levi, she then just noticed the heat radiating from his body and how labored his breathing was. Petra had briefly forgotten how injured and sick Levi was, he shouldn't even be able to stand let alone ride a horse. She didn't make a comment, but reminded herself to keep an eye on him, she didn't want the events from the day before to repeat itself.

Levi had trouble keeping his mind on riding the horse, so he was relieved when he spotted the convoy in the distance. He sighed, this expedition hadn't gone as he had planned. This was the second time they needed to catch up to the convoy and danger lurked everywhere. He tried to get his horse to go faster but the extra weight of Petra slowed it down significantly.  
"Keep an eye out for titans." He breathed to Petra.

The soldiers were desperately trying to fight off several titans that had breached the outer defenses. The convoy was scattered and needed to regroup as fast as it could. Erwin was shouting orders at several soldiers while he tried to keep the convoy together. He had sent out Hange and her squad in the other direction to try and keep the titans out from that side. The Special Operations Squad, apart from Levi and Petra, were fighting not too far from him. Auruo and Gunther had joined up a few minutes after the storm, they'd been lucky to hear the sound flare that Erwin had shot in the sky.  
At the back of his mind there were lingering thoughts about Levi, but he didn't get the chance to think about anything other than fending off the titans and protecting their cargo.

Levi felt like he was about to pass out, the strain he had put on his body the past day was enormous. But he pushed on, it was only a few more miles until they would reach the convoy. As they galloped through several broken carriages and torn off limbs he heard a stifled cry from Petra. "Faster, sir!" she yelled in his ear.  
Levi's head shot up just as a titan doomed up in front of them. It tilted its head and stared at the approaching horse. Levi tried to avoid the titan by making a sharp turn, but he knew that wasn't going to help them a single bit. As he had predicted the titan moved along and easily blocked their path again.

"Stay put, sir." Petra said calmly as she raised herself from the back of the horse and jumped off, firing her 3D maneuver gear at the titan in mid-air.  
Levi's eyes widened as he saw Petra going straight for the nape of the neck, "Wait!" he yelled, but a coughing fit took over as he doubled over in the saddle. It seemed like a déja vu from the other day, but this time the roles were reversed. He saw the titan lifting his arm and grabbing Petra's line before she could reach the neck.

For a second she dangled in the air but quickly regained herself as she shot out her second line, but that one was intercepted by the titan's other hand. She tried to break loose but her gear wouldn't give in.  
"Levi!" she yelled, trying to turn around, "Run!"

Levi watched helplessly as the titan caught Petra between his fingers. He regretted his decision to leave his gear behind as he watched the titan lifting Petra up and gazing at her before it slowly brought her up to its mouth.

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**A/N – Eeeh, I know it's a short chapter! Sorryy … It was very hard to write, I had no idea what to do with it at first, but I hope it's satisfactory enough.  
This is the penultimate chapter, so I thought this moment was the best to end it. The last one is almost written out so it will probably be posted soon. Thanks for reading and please review if you're able to! ^_^**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N – Hello again! This is the last chapter of the story, I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and review it. Enjoy!**

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Levi watched as the titan opened his jaws and lifted Petra towards them. Petra stopped struggling and gazed at Levi, tears flowing down her cheeks. _Sorry _– she mouthed as she slowly lifted her hand and put it on her heart as a last salute to her superior before the titan crushed her between his teeth. Levi had halted his horse and now stood staring at the scene in front of him. Blood spattered everywhere as the thing chewed on one of his beloved comrades.  
Rage filled Levi. He hadn't been able to protect her.  
He wanted to kill the titan.  
Mangle it.  
Destroy it.  
Let it suffer like it had never felt before.  
But he couldn't. It would be near to impossible to take on the titan, and Petra had given up her life for his. She'd given him the chance to run.  
Levi closed his eyes and bowed his head in despair before he turned his horse around and ran. The feeling of running away was something he had wished to never feel again. Back in his days in the Underground he had run from lots of things because he had been too weak, until he had vowed to never run again. Now, several years after he had made that vow, he was running. The titan didn't seem interested enough to follow him. _The bastard better not_ – Levi thought bitterly as he was fighting the urge to turn back around.

The convoy appeared in sight and Levi looked back once more. He gripped his reins tighter and forced himself to look forward, she was dead and nothing could be done to change that.  
He was galloping near one of the carriages as he spotted his squad. A feeling came up, a feeling that he had never experienced before. Guilt.  
Petra had been loved by everyone - she still was -, she'd been like a little sister to them all. She'd always been the one who cheered them up.  
Levi went past his squad, ignoring their surprised greetings and headed for one of the carriages. He approached an almost empty one and effortlessly jumped on it. Afterwards he slid down and let his head rest on his knees. The pain of his injuries were overwhelmed by the pain of losing … a friend. Petra had been a friend to him this expedition, she'd been the one who had cared for him. That was exactly the reason why he didn't let people come near to his heart, because every time someone did, something happened to them. It was like he was cursed to never have anyone dear to him. He hadn't been there to save her, he had watched her get devoured while he did nothing, not even the slightest effort to save her. So far for being humanity's strongest warrior, he couldn't even protect one of his subordinates. The scene played over and over in his head, every time he saw Petra giving her last salute to him. Until the very last moment she'd thought about him. _That's what subordinates are supposed to do_ – he said to himself while his gaze hardened. Yet …

Erwin and the rest of the soldiers had been able to get everything under control, the convoy had regrouped and they were now headed back in the right direction. They'd lost a great deal of time and he was worried if they would still arrive at their supply point on time. Several carriages had been lost in the process of defeating the titans – as well as many good soldiers. Gunther, one of Levi's subordinates, had informed him that Petra had went missing during the attack. Erwin wasn't the type who mourned about lives lost on the battlefield as he believed they died for the greater good. But Levi was someone who cared deeply for his comrades, even though he barely showed any affection towards them. The fact that Petra was missing … Erwin shook his head – these were things he could think about later. He just hoped Levi wasn't stupid enough to go and look for his precious subordinate. He'd known longer that those two had become friends, maybe in a somewhat strange way. A friend was something Levi had desperately needed, even though he hadn't realized himself. Losing her would probably mean that he would close himself off forever to any closer relationships than subordinate-captain. Or even less.

Levi had waited out the whole expedition in the back of the carriage. Restless as he was, he hadn't been able to find a comfortable position. They'd arrived at their destination half an hour ago, but Levi had felt reluctant to join the other captains – not that he usually did that anyways. He closed his eyes again, trying to block out the bloody scenes as he lay down on his back and put his hands behind his head. It wasn't as cold outside as the day before and Levi even almost enjoyed the comfortable breeze that softly grazed his face.

When Erwin had led the convoy inside the small surrounding walls of the fort, the first thing he'd wanted to do after getting off his horse was to look for Levi. The sky was already filled with stars – there was no sign whatsoever of the storm they had encountered a few hours earlier-, they'd been majorly delayed by the titans and it was hard to look through the people at carriages scattered across the forecourt. At first glance he didn't seem to find the carriage Levi was supposed to be in, but he did spot his squad. He marched towards them in his usual demeanor.  
The squad saw the Commander approach, so they all respectfully saluted him.  
"I can't seem to find Levi, do any of you know where I might find him?" Erwin asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer already.  
Eld was the one to answer and he shook his head while doing so, "I have no idea, sir. The last time I saw him …" he hesitated for a moment but the Commander urged him to continue, "The last time I saw him was when he passed me on a horse. I directed him towards Petra's location, sir!"  
Erwin slowly nodded, "Did you see him return?"  
This time Gunther spoke up, he'd been the one to inform Erwin about Petra, but he had neglected to tell him that Levi had been with her. "I saw him return, sir. Auruo and me were helping a soldier with his gear when we saw Levi gallop on a horse. I seem to remember he jumped in one of the carriages up front."  
"Mhm." Erwin had been thinking to himself when he remembered that the soldiers were still standing in position in front of him. "Go relax." He said finally, "We've all had a pretty rough day."

The squad quickly dispersed after that, Eld and Gunther heading over to the main room while Auruo remained where he was. He sat down and looked up at Erwin, "There's no chance she'll come back, right?" Auruo knew full well that the chance of her coming back where close to zero. He'd witnessed the horrors on the field several times, but he couldn't get over the fact that it was now Petra that was gone. Even though they used to bicker all the time, they had formed a close bond.

Erwin was slightly surprised by the question. He'd never thought such a question would come from this confident man. The man's tears were at the brink of escaping as Erwin looked him in the eyes. He shook his head and put his hand on the man's shoulder, "I very much doubt it." He said before silently walking away and leaving the man to mourn. It hadn't been said that Petra was dead, but people who went missing during titan's attacks never came back. Right now he was worried about Levi. The man hardly ever showed his emotions, but the fact that he hadn't seen him since arriving at the fort was enough for him to worry. Levi was always one of the first to come out and seemingly uninterested check his subordinates. He wandered through the empty carriages, the image of Auruo still lingering in his mind as he heard a soft cough.  
"Levi?" he softly asked the darkness.

Levi had finally found some sort of shallow sleep as he heard his name being called. He knew who it was and he was in no mood to deal with the blond-haired Commander so he put up his arm over his eyes and pretended he hadn't heard anything.  
"Levi?" It sounded again, but closer this time. Levi cursed in himself, interaction seemed inevitable. He groaned as he pushed himself upright, hoping that that would be enough to guide Erwin to him. He felt reluctant to say anything.  
"I know you're there, Levi." Erwin pushed on, he didn't want to go to Levi until the man had answered to his call.  
Levi rolled his eyes. He knew Erwin was just standing outside the carriage and that annoyed him more than it should, "What." He snapped.

Erwin appeared in front of Levi, gazing in silence, the bushy brows darkening his eyes. "Look," he started, "I know you're hurting and not only by-"

"Dear God Erwin," Levi said as he rolled his eyes again, "spare me your comforting bullshit." He said bluntly as he set his eyes on the man, he had no interest in any of his attempts to reach him, to understand him.

Erwin was a bit taken aback by this response so he continued on a more formal tone, ignoring the defiant answer he had gotten from the captain, "What exactly happened out there?"

"Shit, Erwin …" Levi mumbled as he gazed at the floor boards he was sitting on. "Can't you fucking tell?" he said, his voice growing louder and louder, "She's dead and it's my fault. I know what you're going to say, but you weren't there. Petra was eaten right in front of me, she was right within my grasp," he said while looking at his hand, wiggling his fingers back and forth as he saw the scene in front of him once more, "If I had just admitted that I was sick and hurting she wouldn't have come to look for me, I've gotten her killed because we were friends, Erwin. Because that's what happens when I care about someone." Levi had never opened up this much in front of Erwin, in front of anyone. But he just couldn't let this sit, Erwin had asked for the truth so he would get it.

Erwin was baffled at the amount of words that had come out of Levi's mouth, he'd never heard him tell so much about himself. Though he was angered by the meaning of those words, "Stop your pitying and self-blame, it's not going to help anyone. We're in the Recon Corps, Levi, no one is untouchable. Not you, not me. This is not because she was your friend, it's because a titan showed up at an unfortunate time. What if you'd admitted you were sick? You'd have been in that carriage when it was trampled, would that have been any better?" He said bitterly.

Levi just stared at his Commander, "Would it?" he muttered emotionless.

Erwin watched Levi return to his usual behavior as his eyes shut out the pain that had been in them a few moments ago. He shook his head, "You have to move on, Levi. I know you're mourning," he quickly lifted his finger as he saw Levi opening his mouth for a retort, "and don't interrupt me. Petra will still be here, just like every other soldier we've lost today." He said and softly added, "Just like Farlan and Isabel."

Levi shot a death glare at Erwin, "Don't mention their names. Ever. Again. The brat's dead, now shut the fuck up and leave. I don't need your hour-long monologues about the life of the Recon Corps." He pointed at the emblem on his shoulder, "I happen to be an expert."  
"Alright," Erwin abided, realizing he wouldn't get through to the man, "but come here for a moment." he said, he still needed to get the his thoughts straight.  
Levi was reluctant to get up, but if it meant he would get rid of the Commander he gladly complied to the request. It took some time but eventually he stood next to Erwin breathing in and out from the exertion.  
Out of nowhere Erwin softly grabbed Levi's shoulder, "Look up." He said.  
Levi wasn't fazed by the sudden touch – though not very happy, but he looked up at the stars anyway, just like he always did. It gave him some kind of comfort right then.  
They both stood there looking up, how long didn't matter. Levi's gaze softened as he recalled the happy memories he had from his friends. Now the stars did not only remind him of Farlan and Isabel, but somewhere Petra was there as well. He almost chuckled at how cliché and mushy it sounded, but still … moments like these had kept him sane all those years.  
"I should've been there…" he mumbled.  
"You were." Erwin softly answered as he left Levi to his thoughts and walked to his room where several stacks of paper awaited him.

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**A/N – It hurts me to say this but … this was the last chapter. ;; I've truly enjoyed writing this story, thank you all for the support! Please review if you get the chance, I love hearing from my readers even if it's just two words. A Happy New Year to you all and be safe! :)**


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